Hospitalized pneumonia patients with severe vitamin D deficiency were more than 12 times more likely to die from pneumonia while hospitalized than those who have average levels of ‘The Sunshine Vitamin’ according to research published recently in the peer-reviewed medical journal Respirology.

“25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency is associated with increased mortality in patients admitted to hospital with community acquired pneumonia during winter,” the research team, from Waikato Hospital in Hamilton, New Zealand, wrote in their findings. Hospitalized subjects with vitamin D levels below 12 ng/ml were 12.7 times more likely to die from their pneumonia than those with vitamin D levels higher than 20 ng/ml.

American vitamin D experts recommend vitamin D levels higher than 40 ng/ml for full-body health, while groups concentrating only on bone health have suggested that 20 ng/ml is sufficient.

The New Zealand study was considered too small — just 112 subjects — to be statistically significant. But the very strong directional finding supports other studies and clinical work suggesting a link between low vitamin D levels and compromised immune systems.

To read more about the New Zealand study click here.